Former Manchester City and Barcelona man Yaya Toure has denied that he has retired from football despite his agent claiming the midfielder called time on his playing career.

Last week, the player's agent Dimitry Seluk said that Toure had retired and planned to focus on coaching but the 36-year-old has publicly stated that he intends to continue.

"There has been a lot of confusion about my future recently," Toure wrote on Twitter. "I want to make it clear here that I love football and I'm still in contention to play for a few more years.

"Yes, I'm starting to prepare myself for coaching badges but full time coaching is not what I'm thinking right now."

Toure has been a free agent since leaving Greek Super League club Olympiakos after only three months last year.

He added: "I am now ready and focused to take new challenges in playing football. And don't worry once the time has come, I will announce my retirement personally and officially by myself."

Toure has enjoyed a successful playing career, winning two La Liga titles and a Champions League with Barca whilst claiming three Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup with City.

Liverpool will learn from their mistakes after coming agonisingly close to winning the Premier League title and hope to come back stronger next season, defender Andy Robertson has said.

The Merseyside club ended their league campaign one point behind champions Manchester City, who sealed a second successive title by coming from a goal down to beat Brighton and Hove Albion 4-1 on Sunday.

Liverpool finished with 97 points, the highest points tally of any team to finish runners-up in English top-flight history, and lost only one league game all season -- at City in January.

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"We've not done much wrong, but we'll learn from it," Robertson told Liverpool's website. "The good thing is that City know we're here now and we're not going anywhere.

"This squad will stay together and we need to put everything into next season.

"Nobody has lost this Premier League, it's been won -- and it's been won by an unbelievable team that's set the standard. We kept up with them but we just fell short."

The disappointment of losing out on the title has been somewhat eased by Liverpool reaching their second successive Champions League final.

The club could still end their season on a high by beating Tottenham Hotspur in the Madrid showpiece on June 1 to claim their sixth European Cup.

"We're in the final now and we need to take that one step further that we didn't take last season," Robertson said, referring to Liverpool's defeat by Real Madrid in last season's Champions League final.

"If we can do it then it'll be a hell of a season. We know how hard that game against Tottenham is going to be."

Eighty-three seconds; that's all they had. For just under one and a half minutes, Liverpool and their supporters allowed hope to turn into belief that a 29-year wait to be champions of England would come to an end on the final day of the Premier League season.

Having taken a 17th-minute lead against Wolves at Anfield through Sadio Mane, news came through that Glenn Murray had headed Brighton in front against Manchester City at the Amex Stadium. A murmur went around Anfield before turning into a deafening roar.

At first, though, it was a false dawn. In the modern era of instant news on social media, the phenomenon of misheard score lines and false alarms about goals should be a thing of the past, but Liverpool fans repeatedly jumped up and celebrated wildly, under the incorrect impression their title rivals were trailing.

Moments later, though, a second ripple became a crescendo of noise. Brighton had scored and The Kop erupted. Flares were lit and songs were sung; the title was finally within Liverpool's grasp. Some 215 miles south, Pep Guardiola removed his grey coat as his agitation grew.

For Liverpool to win their first title since 1990, they needed to win their game and hope for City to slip up. Nobody really believed it would happen -- Guardiola's men had not even fallen behind in a league game since losing at Newcastle in January -- but on the very last day of the season, it was happening.

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Fate? Maybe it was on Liverpool's side. Maybe that incredible 4-0 Champions League semifinal second leg victory against Barcelona last Tuesday was merely the precursor to the main event five days later.

But within 83 seconds of Murray's goal, Sergio Aguero levelled for City and the elation gave way to deflation inside Anfield. At that stage, with Liverpool winning and City drawing, Jurgen Klopp's team were still on course to end the day as champions.

Liverpool supporters knew, though. A lull descended over the stadium, punctured only by the Wolves fans celebrating. More City goals were inevitable and so it proved. Aymeric Laporte made it 2-1 with a storming header eight minutes before half-time, then Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan completed City's emphatic victory in the second period.

Wolves supporters, basking in the Anfield sunshine, mocked their counterparts by cheering City's goals and singing the name of former Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling -- now a key man at City -- before rubbing it in by chanting, "you nearly won the league!" It summed up the situation in one way, yet did little to explain how remarkable the battle at the top has been.

Liverpool ended the season on 97 points, having suffered just one defeat -- against City in early January -- but still did not walk away with the trophy because City racked up 98. Legendary former Anfield manager Bill Shankly used to say that first is first and second is nowhere, but that is harsh on his old club this season.

They played their part in the most incredible title race for at least 20 years -- nothing has compared to their battle with City since Manchester United's Treble winners edged out Arsene Wenger's first great Arsenal side in 1999 -- but at the end of it, ended as runners-up because Pep Guardiola's City have been so good.

Never before have two teams surged through the run-in with such incredible consistency. So much for the nerves and anxiety of the season's final weeks, both clubs just kept winning; City amassed 14 straight victories to close out the campaign, while Liverpool managed nine in a row.

City claimed a league record 100 points last season, and 12 months on, fell just two short of equalling that historic tally. However, in contrast to 2017-18, when they finished 19 points clear of second-placed Manchester United, this time they were pushed every inch of the way.

"I think first we have to say congratulations Liverpool as well -- and thank you, of course -- because they helped us to push and improve our standard from last season," Guardiola said. "I think it's not just my feeling, it's the feeling of the team and the club, the players and the staff, this is the toughest Premier League title win that we have won, in my career by far."

Vincent Kompany agreed, saying this was the toughest title of the four he has won as City captain, at the conclusion of a race defined by incredible quality and the finest of margins. The season ended with seconds separating key moments, but you might say that millimetres were the ultimate difference between City and Liverpool.

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When Liverpool travelled to the Etihad Stadium on Jan. 4, they were seven points clear at the top and knew victory would open a gap of double digits, surely ending City's hopes. Early in the game, a goal-line clearance by John Stones, who got to the ball with 11 millimetres to spare, kept the score 0-0 and City went on to win and reduce the gap to four points.

Stones said later "those sorts of things can change games." As it transpired, his intervention went beyond one match in terms of importance for the eventual champions, who would also beat Burnley with an Aguero goal that crossed the line by just 29.5 millimetres.

Liverpool were not without their own moments of good fortune, never more so than in the 96th minute of a goalless Merseyside derby in early December when Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford pushed Virgil van Dijk's looping shot onto the crossbar. Divock Origi scored from the rebound. Everton manager Marco Silva called the victors "lucky, lucky, lucky," but the goal ignited belief that this could be Liverpool's year.

Six days later, Guardiola's men began to wobble when they lost at Chelsea, and back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Leicester later in December threw the pendulum in Liverpool's favour. But Klopp's side stumbled in a five-week period from late January, drawing four times in six games. When the final whistle blew in a 0-0 draw at Everton on March 3, City were back in control.

Run-ins are often defined by challengers slipping up, which is what made this iteration so remarkable: There was no choking in the final straight. The approaches were often contrasting -- City racked up wins relentlessly with almost machine-like efficiency, while Liverpool lived on the edge with an indefatigable capacity -- but both teams had their foot firmly on the pedal.

City went from the end of January to the final day without trailing in a game, and when they needed a big contribution from a big player, saw Aguero or Raheem Sterling step up. More unlikely was the scoring contribution of inspirational captain Kompany, who delivered with a 30-yard stunner to beat Leicester.

Liverpool had Mohamed Salah to score a wonder goal against Chelsea and squeezed by Tottenham thanks to a late own goal, before Origi headed a late winner at Newcastle.

There was excellence on both sides. Aguero, Salah and Mane each scored more than 20 league goals, while Sterling and Van Dijk claimed one domestic player of the year apiece. Laporte brought to City defensively what Van Dijk gave Liverpool. In goal, the two Brazilians, Ederson Moraes and Alisson Becker, took the position to a new level.

Either side would have been worthy champions, but while City head into the summer with medals around their neck, Liverpool's wait goes on. Klopp and his players stayed at the city's Hope Street Hotel ahead of the Wolves game, perhaps attempting to conjure a last bit of fate. In the end, there was no hope, but their manager insisted this was no one-off.

"This team is one of the best to ever play for Liverpool," Klopp said. "This club is in a great moment and that will not end because another team finished with one point more. There is more to come, we will go again. This team tried for the first time, and is one of the best to play for LFC, 100 percent. If you think this is our only chance with a side like this, I feel for you."

Liverpool might have regrets about drawing against Arsenal, Leicester and West Ham -- games in which they took the lead -- but, equally, City will look back with relief at a missed Riyad Mahrez penalty when the two sides met at Anfield in early October.

The former Leicester winger redeemed himself at the Amex with a crucial goal, which made the score 3-1 and banished any prospect of a Brighton fightback, and in doing so spurred the defiance of Liverpool fans at Anfield, who sang about going to Madrid ahead of next month's Champions League final against Tottenham.

A sixth European Cup win would soften the blow of missing on the league title, but for now Liverpool must accept that City have just been too formidable, too powerful and too ruthless. Both sides are set to go head-to-head again next season, and given they have redefined what it takes to dominate while the rest of their top-six rivals are floundering to varying degrees, few would pick against them a repeat of the top two.

As for the order in which they finish, the past nine months have shown that even the tiniest edge can be crucial in deciding the destination of the Premier League trophy.

Tasmania have signed young Western Australian quick Alex Bevilaqua for next season as part of a squad littered with fast bowlers.

Bevilaqua, 22, played two Sheffield Shield matches for Western Australia in early 2018 but only managed a handful of Futures League games last season. The 207cm quick was a long-term project for the Warriors and had worked closely with Tasmania coach Adam Griffith when he was WA's bowling coach prior to taking the head coaching role with the Tigers.

Bevilaqua joins a squad already featuring Jackson Bird, Riley Meredith, Gabe Bell, Sam Rainbird, Gurinder Sandhu, Tom Rogers and James Faulkner as the Tigers look to exploit the seamer friendly conditions at Bellerive Oval in both formats next season.

Tasmania have rewarded local talents Alex Pyecroft and Sean Willis after both men debuted in the Sheffield Shield last season following excellent performances in Tasmania Premier cricket. Pyecroft took 5 for 28 in his second match against Queensland.

Veteran George Bailey returns for his 19th season with Tasmania. He began last season as the Tigers' skipper in both formats but handed the captaincy to Matthew Wade halfway through the season to concentrate on his batting. He suffered a nasty shoulder injury in the BBL semi-final playing for the Hobart Hurricanes but is expected be fit for the start of next season.

Tasmania batting coach Jeff Vaughan will oversee the start of the Tigers pre-season with Griffith away on secondment with Australia's World Cup squad.

Tasmania Men's 2019-20 squad George Bailey, Gabe Bell, Alex Bevilaqua, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Jake Doran, James Faulkner, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Simon Milenko, Tim Paine, Alex Pyecroft, Sam Rainbird, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Jordan Silk, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Beau Webster, Sean Willis Rookies Iain Carlisle, Jarrod Freeman, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Keegan Oates, Jack White, Macallister Wright

Beaten Sheffield Shield finalists New South Wales have upgraded left-arm quicks Daniel Sams and Greg West to their contract list for 2019-20 as they continue to develop youth.

The Blues have kept a fairly stable squad after falling just short of claiming the Shield against a dominant Victoria side.

Sams, 26, has been rewarded after an excellent JLT Cup last season. He also made his Sheffield Shield debut playing two matches prior to the BBL break. West, 24, also impressed in his first two Sheffield Shield matches, taking five wickets against South Australia on debut and three against Victoria.

New South Wales were keen to keep continuity within the squad that was revamped under new coach Phil Jaques last season. Teenagers Jack Edwards, Jason Sangha and Baxter Holt all debuted last season with Edwards and Sangha playing all 11 Shield games in order to fast-track their development as long-term players.

"When you try to develop players, you want to give them an opportunity to do well," Jaques said. "We obviously want to reward performance as well which we've done with the changes that we've made.

"I think the long-term development of the core group of young guys is still, very, very important, as is the leadership that the [senior players] have shown over the last 12 months."

Young batsman Ollie Davies, 18, and wicketkeeper batsman Matt Gilkes, 19, have both been handed rookie contracts. Davies became the first player to make a double century in a 50-over match at the Australian Under-19 Championships last season while Gilkes made 51 on BBL debut for Sydney Thunder.

New South Wales 2019-20 contract list Peter Nevill, Sean Abbott, Nick Bertus, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Daniel Fallins, Ryan Gibson, Liam Hatcher, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Stephen O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Param Uppal, Greg West, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner Rookies Ryan Hackney, Ryan Hadley, Baxter Holt, Oliver Davies, Matt Gilkes, Chad Sammut

Aaron Finch is ready to get creative with his bowling tactics in an attempt to the counter the large totals which are expected to dominate the 2019 World Cup.

The second ODI between England and Pakistan in Southampton over the weekend gave another taste of what could be to come, with 734 runs plundered in 100 overs. England made hay with wickets in hand in the closing over as Jos Buttler smashed a 50-ball century before Pakistan threatened to chase it down until the home side's death bowling held its nerve.

While conditions won't always be as pristine for batting as they were on Saturday on the south coast, it is expected to be a heavily bat-dominated tournament with the use of two new balls negating the chances of reverse swing and the Kookaburra hardly moving for the quicks when it's new.

That poses a tough set of challenges for fielding captains as they try and conjure plans to keep batting line-ups in check. One of the key areas will be taking wickets in the middle overs - it is why most sides now have a legspinner in their ranks, as do Australia with Adam Zampa.

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However, it could be that Australia's two premier quicks - Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins - are left with plenty of overs available for the middle period of an innings instead of sharing the new ball or being given extended spells with it.

Australia used their matches against New Zealand in Brisbane to try various combinations with Jason Behrendorff sharing the new ball with Starc in the final match, and Cummins used as first change.

"All the trends and all the stats in one-day cricket show the last couple of years the teams that have taken the most wickets in the middle overs have been successful," Finch said. "That's something that we've identified as an area we really want to try and nail so there is talk about all those kind of things. Whether you have a burst with Starc or Cummins through those middle overs. That will come down to the day, if someone gets off to a flyer you have to keep rolling out your big guns and make sure you are looking to take wickets in the Powerplay."

Away from Starc and Cummins, who are certain starters, there remains jostling to support them among Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson. The trio all had two outings against New Zealand but only managed a combined 6 for 223 compared to Starc and Cummins taking 10 for 117.

"That will be dictated over the next couple of weeks, it's not something we've sat down and planned," Finch said on bowling combinations. "There are a lot of questions still to be answered but we are in a great place to do that."

However, Finch did confirm that Zampa was the No. 1 spinner, although did not rule out pairing him up with Nathan Lyon again, as they did successful during the series in India and the UAE.

"[Zampa's] performances in India and the UAE were outstanding on wickets that didn't turn a huge amount but also against world-class players of spin he played exceptionally well. The reputation of Bristol [where Australia start against Afghanistan] is that it spins, but all reports say it didn't spin a huge amount in the latest one-day competition in England, so it's just going to be wait and see what the wickets produce."

The training camp in Brisbane brought good and bad news as far as Australia's attack is concerned, with Jhye Richardson being ruled out. "It's a huge loss," Finch said. "The energy he brings, his raw pace, ability to swing the ball and get good players out on good wickets is something that will be missed. That's not to say the others don't, but we saw that real x-factor with the ball. I know he was really down, but he'll pick himself up, he's only 22. He has a long career ahead."

The form of Starc, though, provided plenty of encouragement on his return from the pectoral injury he picked up against Sri Lanka in early February. His pace did not go unnoticed by the New Zealand batsmen and, when any modicum of movement with the white ball will be priceless, he found some swing.

"He's proved it in big moments that he can get the job done, so really encouraging. He's been swinging the ball the last few days which is such a valuable assest," Finch said.

An error-strewn IPL final resulted in a chaotic finish, leaving Chennai Super Kings needing nine off the last over against Lasith Malinga. How did it even get to that point? That was Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming's immediate reaction after his side faltered at the final hurdle.

Shardul Thakur had let rip bouncers and ambushed Quinton de Kock and Krunal Pandya. A third Thakur bouncer could have had Hardik Pandya on 4 had Suresh Raina not misjudged a skier at cover. When asked if those three balls from Thakur were among the best in the final when looked at in isolation, Fleming nodded in approval. Thakur was so good that Imran Tahir - Super Kings' MVP and top wicket-taker of the season - got just three overs despite dismissing Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, who had toppled Super Kings in the first qualifier at Chepauk.

But Raina's drop allowed Mumbai Indians to regroup, and Hardik and Kieron Pollard plundered 39 together in 22 balls. Super Kings then regained some lost ground at the start of the chase with Faf du Plessis teeing off and Shane Watson settling down. But, Raina's painstaking 8 off 14 balls, and the tight run-out of captain MS Dhoni, tilted the balance back in favour of Mumbai.

Watson, though, tried to do a Dhoni. He sat back and targeted Malinga at the death, but with Super Kings needing five off three balls, Ravindra Jadeja pushed the 37-year old for a second run. Watson - his left hamstring strapped - was never going to make it. He had had three dropped chances and one missed run out, but fell with the target agonisingly close. Thakur couldn't get the job done either and was bested by Malinga.

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"I think there were quite a few game-changing moments, which is fitting for a final," Fleming said at the post-match press conference. "They [Mumbai] got off to a good start but we came back very well. Our bowling, like it has been [throughout] this season, was very tough to handle and we thought we restricted them to what we thought was a very good score. We were confident at the halfway stage. But to be honest, batting has been the weak part of our game, there is still a lot of work to do. It was an aggressive start but then we lost our way. It took a pretty good performance from Shane Watson to keep us in the game. Look this is what you want from a final, you want it to be down to the last one or two balls and that's what happened today."

When asked if Watson could have just settled for a single off the fourth ball of the last over, or could have just taken it upon himself to take Super Kings home, Fleming said: "These are things that will going through the players' minds for days and months. Watson's was an innings that got us back into the game. We were stopped by some great bowling in the middle overs. [Jasprit] Bumrah bowled some great overs. To get back into the game was great. But we fell short. You've got to give it to Malinga. He just delivered under pressure. That's what it came down to. Yes, both teams can look back and think of doing certain things much better. There were dropped catches from both teams. It was a fitting end to the final, but unfortunately we are on the losing side."

However, Fleming was particularly pleased with the performance of his bowlers given that the attack was depleted by injuries. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi missed the entire tournament because of a side strain while left-arm seam-bowling allrounder David Willey also pulled out, citing personal reasons. Later in the season, Dwayne Bravo sustained a hamstring injury and was sidelined for a couple of weeks. Fleming revealed that Mohit Sharma, who had been snapped up for INR 5 crore at the auction in December, wasn't "100%" as well.

In Bravo's absence, Deepak Chahar put on a stellar show, excelling at the death in addition to picking up vital wickets in the Powerplay, while New Zealand quick Scott Kuggeleijn won Super Kings the game against Kings XI Punjab in Chennai on his IPL debut. But it was Tahir who led the way, with a chart-topping 26 wickets in 17 matches at an economy rate of 6.69.

"We lost a couple of bowlers to injury. Lungi Ngidi was a big loss for us. There was also David Willey, [Sam] Billings. Mohit Sharma wasn't 100%. So we were short on options but what the players did with the opportunity was great. Deepak Chahar had a good season last year and had an excellent season this year. Imran Tahir, at the age of 40, was inspiring. Harbhajan [Singh] was very good. I am impressed with this department."

Super Kings' batting, on the other hand, was rickety throughout the season, but Fleming defended the top order, saying it was a tough challenge to bat upfront on a tricky track in the Chennai furnace. In the final, Super Kings swapped a safety-first approach for an attack-first approach, but although it seemed to have come off in the Powerplay, they came up short in the end.

"This year in Chennai was tough, the conditions were tough to read, hard to play," Fleming said. "If we look at the aggregate of numbers from our top order, we could have liked a bit more. But at the same time, how much more do you need? We got to the final, we went till the last ball. Of course, we didn't have a good season with the bat. But, there was never a lack of effort. Overall, certainly was a tough season for our batters."

The slow-moving legs will get slower in IPL 2020 and when asked at the post-match presentation if we would get to see Dhoni next IPL, the Super Kings captain replied: "Hopefully, yes". So, what's next for Super Kings? Should they invest in youth and aim to build a fresh core?

"We will give some time for dust to settle down," Fleming said. "I think if you win one title and reach the final next time, we have had good two years. We know we are an ageing team. So, at some point, we just have to look at recreating the side, obviously MS as well. He will be travelling to the World Cup. A lot of talent has been established in other teams. You need to do it carefully and get the balance right when you try to go for players who you think can deliver for us."

DENVER -- CJ McCollum stood on the Denver Nuggets logo at midcourt and stared directly at a deflated Pepsi Center crowd trying to process how Game 7 had slipped out of its team's hands.

In a back-and-forth Game 7 that mirrored this highly competitive second-round series, McCollum buried midrange jumpers from near the left side of the free throw line all game, chased down Jamal Murray for a LeBron James-like series-saving block and delivered the dagger that helped the Portland Trail Blazers break through a 19-year wall. For the first time since 2000, the Blazers are heading to the Western Conference finals, and they did so by completing the largest comeback in a Game 7 in the past 20 years.

McCollum orchestrated the comeback with 37 points, nine rebounds and the block on Murray to help Portland advance with a 100-96 victory over the Nuggets. The Blazers overcame a 39-22 deficit with 7:26 remaining in the second quarter, the largest deficit erased in a Game 7 since the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, came back from 16 down against Portland in the 2000 conference finals.

The Trail Blazers have been eliminated in the first or second round in their past 11 postseasons. But McCollum didn't need that for motivation to lift his team to a showdown with the Golden State Warriors.

"Honestly, I got enough motivation," he told ESPN's Doris Burke after the win. "I got it out the mud. I went to Lehigh University. You know what I'm saying? No one has ever been drafted there, so for me, it's about showing what I can do every night and keeping the door open for the next mid-major. I'm tired."

McCollum ended the Nuggets' best season in a decade by going 17-for-29 and doing almost all his damage from inside the 3-point line. On a day when Damian Lillard struggled through 3-for-17 shooting, McCollum was too much for the Nuggets to handle.

After Denver's cushion disappeared, the Nuggets were within four when Murray took an outlet pass and flew toward the basket. After avoiding Seth Curry, Murray appeared to have a layup, only to have McCollum erase it from behind with 4:44 to go, halting any momentum the Nuggets were creating.

"I just went and got it, Bron-style," said McCollum, who like James grew up outside of Cleveland. "Shout-out to my guy Bron from the 330. It was mini version of LeBron's block on [Andre Iguodala]. Definitely didn't get up as high, but it was a cool play. It's something I'll remember. I might have to get a picture of that one."

McCollum followed that by drilling three midrange jumpers in the final 2:57 to deny the Nuggets any chance to overcome the deficit. When Denver got within one, McCollum answered with a 16-foot pull-up with 1:25 remaining. After winding the clock down, McCollum was isolated on Torrey Craig before he got to his spot on the left side of the free throw line and buried a 16-foot jumper with 12.4 seconds left to give the Blazers a 98-95 lead.

"CJ was phenomenal tonight," said Denver coach Michael Malone, whose team won 54 games and finished second in the Western Conference in the regular season. "And all summer long, I'm going to be probably second-guessing myself. Out of a timeout, they just go 1-4 flat, and he hits a tough pull-up, and that's a shot he makes consistently. And Torrey played good defense, as good of defense you can ask somebody to play one-on-one.

"But right after, I'm saying, we should've sent somebody at him. He's having a great game, and make somebody else have to make a play or make a shot."

Afterward, the Blazers could be heard celebrating in the visitors locker room. They're one series away from their first NBA Finals trip since the Clyde Drexler-led Blazers faced the Chicago Bulls in 1991-92, and they did it without Jusuf Nurkic (out for the season with a leg injury) and after losing Rodney Hood (hyperextended knee) in the third quarter of this Game 7.

"Obviously, we had the roster turnover four years ago, and everybody was quick to shoot us down," Lillard said. "You know, count us out, and at that point, we didn't know for sure what direction we were going to go in. We definitely leaned on the culture we wanted to create -- doing things the right way, working hard, being about each other. You know, not being about one guy, two guys. You know, I think we really built that up from the jump."

"You know, everybody's excited because we all play a part in it," he added. "You know, you just don't create this type of thing with just the players. It takes everybody to be all-in. That's what it was tonight."

DENVER -- Dell Curry and Sonya Curry emerged from a restaurant inside the Pepsi Center and shouted with joy as they hugged Seth Curry.

The Curry family celebrated the Portland Trail Blazers' 100-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 7, setting up a Western Conference finals that will be a Curry family affair.

Seth Curry will face Stephen Curry for the right to get to the NBA Finals when the Trail Blazers play the Golden State Warriors starting Tuesday in Oakland, California. It's the first time in NBA history that two brothers will play against each other in a conference finals or NBA Finals, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.

"It's a dream come true for both of us," Seth Curry said. "Obviously, it's the first time it's been done. It's going to be a lot of fun for our families to be in the building. I'm looking forward to it."

Seth says he has played against his brother only in the NBA. Steph is 7-2 in the nine meetings, but his two losses have come this season.

"It's going to be so much fun," Sonya Curry told ESPN. "It is. From our end, to see both of our sons to compete at this level and for the goal to be a championship is such a blessing. We never could imagine this.

"One of them might go home. But we're going to the championship!"

No matter what happens, the Curry family wins. Either Steph will be going for his third straight championship or Seth will be playing for his first title. Seth says the experience could be stressful for their mom, however.

"I know my mom is a little stressed out," he said of what usually happens when the brothers face each other. "My dad, he's always calm. But my mom is stressed out, and you might be able to hear her. She's probably happy right now, enjoying the moment for both of us. She can look at the bright side: One of us is going to the Finals at the end of the day, so there's no losers."

Dell and Sonya Curry have been traveling all over to keep up with their two sons this postseason. This is Seth's first time playing in the playoffs in his five seasons, and his parents have traveled to Oakland, Portland, Los Angeles, Houston and Denver. Dell Curry says the only games they missed were road games at Oklahoma City and Game 1 between the Blazers and Nuggets in Denver.

"It's going to be fun," he told ESPN. "It's going to lessen our travel schedule. That's the biggest thing. We've been traveling quite a bit. It's been fun, it's been tiresome, but it's about ready to get real now."

"It's a first experience for all of us," he added. "Biggest thing is we are trying to decide who represents who."

Sonya Curry has a solution for which parent will wear Blazers colors and which will wear Warriors gear.

"We are flipping a coin every game," she said.

She also said she will try not to stress out watching both of her sons play with a Western Conference championship on the line. She wants to see both of her sons have their moments, especially Seth in his first postseason.

"It's fun," she said, repeatedly calling this a blessing. "It is really. I actually look forward to watching Seth and doing that. I want him to steal the ball and want him to shoot over Stephen and all that good stuff. I want him to have his moments too.

"It's cool. It's such a blessing to just be able to watch this and experience all this."

Dallas Mavericks power forward Kristaps Porzingis was involved in a bloody altercation over the weekend at a club in his hometown of Liepaja, Latvia.

"It is our understanding that Kristaps was jumped and assaulted outside of a club in Latvia. We will provide an update when one is available," the team said in a statement.

A source told ESPN that the Mavericks' understanding was that several Russians attacked Porzingis, who fought back before the club security broke up the scuffle.

Video of the aftermath of the incident went viral, showing Porzingis with a bloody gash on his head and a torn shirt. The source said that Porzingis was hit with an object, believed to be a chair, but he did not suffer any significant injuries.

T-shirt déchiré, visage ouvert et embrouille entre hommes en sortie de bar/boîte : les débuts de vacances de Kristaps Porziņģis ne se passe pas exactement pour le mieux. pic.twitter.com/AjbKy3XKyd

— Dallas Mavs France (@DallasMavsFr) May 12, 2019

TMZ reported that the men who attacked Porzingis were upset that he left the New York Knicks, who traded him to the Mavericks on Jan. 31 due in part to the All-Star being disgruntled with the franchise.

The 7-foot-3 Porzingis spent all of last season rehabilitating from a torn ACL in his left knee suffered on Feb. 6, 2018. He practiced with the Mavericks late in the season, but Porzingis, his advisers and the team agreed on a plan to prioritize working on his body over playing last season, even after he was medically cleared.

Porzingis is entering restricted free agency, but the Mavs made the trade with the intention of signing him to a five-year maximum contract this summer.